Trumpet assembly



Sept

R.- H. SHEPPARD' r a 2 904,145 TRUMPET Ass I I v 4: s h e eit shleet' 1I Filed y 6; 1954 INVENTOR Sept. 15, 1959 R. H. SHEPPARD TRUMPETASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet 2- Filed May 6, 1954 INVENTOR I RICHARD H.SHEPPARD Sept. 15, 1959 R. H. SHEPPARD TRUMPET ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet 3Filed May 6. 1954' v FIG.

INVENTOR RICHARD H SHEPPARD ATTORNEY Sept. 15, 1959 R. H. SHEPPARD2,904,145

TRUMPET ASSEMBLY Filed May 6. 1954 I I 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTO RRICHARD H. SHEPPARD United States PatentO TRUMPET ASSEMBLY Richard H.Sheppard, Hanover, Pa. Application May 6, 1954, Serial No. 427,974=12-Claims. (c1. 192-4) This invention relates to tractors and has forits principal object the provision of a trumpet assembly wh ch housesthe so-called final pinion and the main axle whlch drives the large ground wheels on each side of the main body of the tractor and whichassures correct alinement of these wheels by distributing the stress andthe strain inherent in the parts over a broad area of the center casingby virtue of the wide and deep flanges on the axle trumpets. I

A further object of the present invention is to provide brakes in such alocation that these may readily be inspected or adjusted by mere removalof a cap on either side, such caps housing the free end of the finalpinion shaft which at its inner end is driven by the differential.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby thetrumpet 'is bolted at its edges to the main body whereby the gearalinement is preserved with consequent absence of end loading of theteeth. 'A still further object of the invention is to provide wellspaced bearings in the main axle within the trumpet, these rollerbearings cooperating with an additional bearing for the mainaxle in themain housing of the tractor.

A further object of the invention. is to provide a trumpet assembly foreach of the two sides of .a tractor in which the entire assembly withinthe trumpet can be of the main housing. Rotation of the ring 40 movesthe roller bearings 43 so as to insure precise meshing of the ring gearwith its drive pinion, not shown. To make the necessary adjustment, thecompanion adjusting ring on the opposite side (not shown) is backed offsomewhat, both trumpets being detached, and then the tworings 40 arecarefully revolved forwardly or backward untilthe ring gear is preciselyand exactly centered. Next each of the two plates 72, one on each side,are secured by the screws 73 so that their eccentric slots 77 engage theappropriate lug 75 of the proximate ring 40, thus locking the mechanismin adjusted place. The trumpets are now secured, the usual inner splinesof the shafts 30 readily sliding through the circular openings in thering gear carriers 35 at both sides and into the spline grooves of thebevel pinions 33 which have just been locked in place by the fasteningof the adjusting rings which secure the roller bearings.

The brake assembly 44 is of normal configuration consisting of two pairsof disks 39 actuated by a central as W sembly 45 to exert pressure onthe plate 46 and on the surface 47 of the brake case 48 which casemerely encloses the brake assembly and provides the friction surface 47.By virtue of its location it may be held by just a few bolts preferablythree and by removing these bolts 49 the cap can readily be taken oif,exposing the entire brake assembly which is secured to the drive pinionshaft 30 by a series of fine splines 38. The base plate 46 of the brakeassembly is secured through the wall 32 of the trumpet to the mainhousing wall 17 as by the elongated bolt 51 extending into the rearcasing wall.

slid from engagement with the mechanism within the I transmissionhousing by a single straight movement.

In the drawings; Figure 1 is a plan view of atrumpet assembly. Figure 2is a rear elevation of the left trumpet. Figure 3 is an end elevation ofthe trumpet looking toward the main body of the tractor and omitting thewheel hub.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the rear case. Figure 5 is a section online 55 of Figure 2. Referringparticularly to Figure l, the main axle 10is mounted in roller bearings 11 and 12 in the trumpet 14 and also inbearings 15 in an indented annular projection 16 integral with the wall'17 of the main housing 20. of the'tractor. This axle carries the bullgear 21 adjacent the roller bearings 12' which are housed in a hollowcylindrical extension 23 integral with thetmmpet 14. At its' free endthe main axle 10 is splined to a hub 25,- secured to the main axle bythe nu't26. The hub in usual fashion carries the disk 27 secured tothe'rim of the ground wheel, not shown.

The hull wheel 21 is driven by teeth 29 of the pinion of the shaft 30,this shaft usually being termed the final drive pinion shaft. It issupported in part by bearings 31 in a wall 32 (Figure 2) of the trumpetparallel to the wall 17 of the main housing 20. At its end toward thelongitudinal center line of the tractor, the shaft 30 is splined to adriving bevel pinion 33, receiving power from the transmission and issupported by the ring gear carrier 35 which is positioned axially byrotation of the adjusting The bosses 50, preferably four on the forwardside and four on the rearward side, are tapped for convenient securingof an agricultural instrument as, for example, a cultivator. The bosses52, two in number on each side, are likewise tapped to secure a shieldor fender, one on each trumpet, to protect the driver. The ring 53secured to the wall 17 of main case 20 is held in place by a dozen bolts54 and gives the advantage that when the trumpet assembly and thesebolts are removed and the adjusting nut 40 is loosened the ring 53 andthe ring gear carrier assembly to the right of wall 17 may be removed asa unit by withdrawing it toward the bottom of Figure 1.

As best seen in Figure 3, the base portion'of the trumpet which engagesthe main tractor housing has a flat upper wall 55, a generally verticalfront wall 56, a generally curved bottom wall 57 and a rear wall 58which is curved rearwardly to accommodate the final pinion shaft 30 andits associated parts. The trumpet is secured to the tractor housing 20by a considerable number of bolts 60 here shown as four at the top, fourat the bottom,

' and an additional bolt at front and back. It will be noted from Figure1 that these bolts have their heads on the outside of the trumpet andextend just inside of. the shell (front wall 56 for example) of thetrumpet and into a tapped boss 59 in the tractor side wall 17; Each bolthole 61 is spaced in thewall 32 between cast braces ring 40 threaded asat'41-tothe wall 17 of the rear'casing 7 62, this being appreciablycheaper than providing a boss and have the bore through the boss. Asnoted in Figure 3, this is not always possible particularly where theribs 65, four in number, run into the periphery of the shallow housingformed by the vertical wall 32, and the relatively narrow enclosingwalls 55, 56, 57 and 58.

Between the four bosses 50 (Figure 2) the trumpet is roughly square incross section, as seen in Figure 5, but at its end adjacent the groundwheel hub 25 the trumpet is cylindrical, as it is where it supports thebearings 12. Between the bosses 52 and the outer generally flat wall 32forming the outside of the bull gear, housing, the trumpet flares as at67 to a point 70. Within this flaring portion of the trumpet andintegral with such bell shaped Patented Sept. 15, 1959 portion there isa coaxial cylindrical extension 23 carryingthe roller bearings 12.

The adjusting ring 40 has a series of equispaced lugs 75 which extendinto the large chamber of the trumpet. when this ring has been adjustedto correct position it islocltedin place by a flat plate 72 (Fig. 4)having a slot?! to receive the proximate lug of the'ring. By positioningeither the slot 77 or the line of screws 73 thecenter line of the plateand having the other laterally ofiset by a distance equal to half thespace between the lugs'75 on the adjusting ring 40, adjustment of thering 40 may be hadby turning the plate 12 over, if necessary this givingthe advantage of positioning the ring within half the space betweenadjacent lugs 7 5. It will be understood that there is a trumpet on theopposite side of the tractor so that the two axles 10- and the twopinion shafts 30 are alined and that the two adjusting rings 40 willsimultaneously be adjusted to position centrally located ring gearassembly in exact position and that this is done without in any wayshifting either of the pinion shafts 30 axially. A

What I claim is:

l. In a tractor, a main casing, an axle for driving a ground wheel, abull gear on said axle, a trumpet housing the bull gear and the axle,a'bearing on each side of the bull gear, one bearing within the trumpetand the other bearing in the main casing, an additional bearing ron,mate the outer end of the trumpet .to support the axle, said additionalbearing and the bearing in the trumpet supporting the axle when thetrumpetis removed from the main easing, and a series of bolts spacedradially beyond the periphery of the bull gear and completelysurrounding the bull gear to secure the trumpet to the main casing sothat the trumpet may readily be removed from the mainscasin gas a unitwith the axle supported therein, whereby the trumpet when fast to themain casing distributes stress and strain over a broad area and therebyassures continual correct alinement of the bull gear axle.

'2. In a tractor, a main casing, an axle for driving a ground wheel, abull gear on said axle, a trumpet housing the bull gear and the axle, abearingoneach side of the bull gear, one bearing within the trumpetandthe other bearing in the main casing, an additional bearing proximatethe outer end of the trumpet to support .the axle, a series of securingmeans spaced radially beyond the bull .gear for detachably fastening the.flan'ng po'rtionof the trumpet to the main casing for ready removal asa unit, whereby the trumpet when fastvto the main casing distributesstress and strain over a broad area and thereby as re tinualco re li me-q h "b ll a a e said axle being slidable from its bearing .in the .maincasing when the trumpet is removedfrom the main casing and issupportedby its two bearings in t he trumpet.

3 The deviceof claim .1 in whichthe flaring portion of the trumpet issmoothly curved and is integral with a narrow wall parallel to the'axisof {the axle and normal to the wall of the casing to which the trumpetis secured, one ofsaid bearings is mounted in a cylindrical extension ofthe trumpet atits flaring end and the axes of the bolts are parallel tothe axle.v

4. In a tractor, a main casing, an axle for driving a ground wheehabullgear" on said axle, a trumpet housing the-bullgear and the axle, abearing on each side of the bull gear, one bearing within .the trumpetand theother bearing in the main casing, an additionalbearing proximatethe. outer .end of the :trumpet to support the axle, a series ofsecuring .means spaced radially beyond the bull gear for detachablyfastening theflaring portion of the trumpet to the maiu casing for readyremoval as .a unit, .Wherebythe trumpet ,when -fa st,to the maincasingdistributes stress andstr in over abroad area and therebyassurescontinual cor-nest alinernent of the .bullgearaxle, the rum e iss q r sl 10 "a sfibstantially a r qalwall 9f h and t etl ns 'ror pmp tht mpe i ude al a l s ue l perpe di ular t-t -i e1 .-9 :&h

casing and forming the margin of a chamber housing the bull gear,and'the securing means are spaced from said narrow wall.

5. The device of claim 4 in which the securing means includes aplurality of bolts passing thru a flaring wall of the trumpet which atthe end of the flare is substantially parallel to the vertical wall ofthe main casing and the bolts extend into said vertical wall and areparallel to the narrow wall of the trumpet.

In a tra t nxa ground wheel axle, a bull gear mounted on s id 2 22 shafisan inga Bil i meshing with said bull gear and having splines adapted toaccommodate a dri in p n on, azmain housing wall;. ca y a bearing forsaid ground wheel axle, a trumpet housing detachably secured to saidmainhousing wall and having a plurality of additional spaced bearingsfor the ground wheel axle to hold same parallel to said shaft, a ringgear carrier member coaxial with and surrounding said pinion shaft, aroller bearing between the housing Wall andfthe ring gear carriermember, an adjusting nut having a sliding engagement with the rollerbearing and having threaded engagement with the housing wall forrotating the adjusting nut to move the roller bearing axially" of thepinionshatt to shift the ring gear catrier member axially with respectto the main housing wall without moving the pinion shaft axially.

7'. The 'de'vieear claim 6 in which the adjusting nut carries aplurality of equally spaced projections,'and a plate is detachablysecured to the housing wall and hav; ing means to engage a chosen one ofsaid projections to lockithe nutina ehosen adjustedpos'ition'.

'8.' Thedevice of claim 7 in which the means for secur ing the plate tothe housing wallincludes a plurality of screws mounted parallel to butspaced from the centerline of the plate, th e'plate has a central recess,to engage a projection whereby when the plate isdetached 'andthenrefastened with its opposite parallelside against the main housing w l hs-e dii s emr t e ad ust ng bu by half th' e sp'ace between adjacentprojections maybe obtained. i

9. vA one-piec e side member for a tractor to ,housethe main axle,thepinion shaft and the bull ,gear for driving the main axle; comprisinga tubular member housing the main axle, a member forming a chamber tohouse the bull gear a fla n m m c nn c in th tubu a member and thechamber member, acylindric'al extension of the tubular member within theflaring niember to support a bearing for the main axle, said ehambermember including a narrow flange eonstantly parallel to the axis (if ttu u a m mb bein en r ly iu r cal at rear, bottom, and lower front, and'havingave'rtical upper front portion.

10. The one-piece sidememher of 612 31 9 with .amain axle and bearingsfor supporting the axle, one hearing being proximatejthe end of thetubular member .andlthe other beating positionedin the end ofthe cylixidrical'zext nsio sa s axle extendin sn h si embi a Oil-1e n a v erqa dnet-inn.exn dngnaond the one-piece sidemember at the other side toenter-.a

be n in h asiaafiflh tracto Y f .-}I I .e main casin hari in aside.,wall .a l pt IR an amin .Snasesi therefrom, a trumpet de a ha ly cured9 t e s de wa l and .havin a mai axle mounted therein to extend intoandbelsllppfilltedin Said hea ing whenthe trumpetissecuredito thecasing, a .bullgearmpunted on themainaxle within the trumpet, a dfinssha xt ndin hr u h he pe tu an p ying al pinion meshing with said bullgear, ,saidshaft being splinedat both ends, receiving beyond thesaidaperture andwithin the rnain casing abevelpinion andreceiving at itsother end inside of, the trumpet abraking mechanism,:a,heari g th tumpet fpor., supp.orting..one' end of J the njlain axle, a serie s ofvboltslextending through h trumpe g p h ,Si Q Mall and surrounding thebull 5 gear to serve to detachably secure the trumpet to the side wall.

12. The tractor of claim 11 in which the pinion shaft has one bearing inthe trumpet and another bearing in a ring gear carrier member coaxialwith the aperture and slidable axially of the pinion shaft and of theside wall, and an adjusting means having threaded engagement with theaperture wall for shifting said member axially.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSScarratt Aug. 12,. 1941 Buckendale Apr. 3, 1951 Gl'lfiltll Apr. 10, 1951Hoffman Aug. 7, 1951 Nondenson June 24, 1952

